


it's my problem

by izurulovesboats



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: College flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, alien features, emotional breakdown, post yoglabs, very platonic intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 08:37:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17546285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izurulovesboats/pseuds/izurulovesboats
Summary: My problem is my problemThat I never am happyIt's my problem, it's my problemThat I never will succeed





	it's my problem

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry i forgot abt my requests for a second, i Really Needed to write this

_ “Are you there?” _

 

_ “..Yeah. Why, what do you need?”  _

 

_ “..Nothing. It’s been a while since we talked.. I was worried.”  _

 

_ “Don’t be. I’m fine.”  _

 

* * *

  
  


As Strife landed in the courtyard to Yoglabs, he almost immediately regretted not coming sooner. This place had not been taken care of  _ at all,  _ and everyone who knows that Xephos’ pride and joy is Yoglabs, and if anything happened to it, he’d be in hysterics. The big front door was covered in overgrown fauna. As he looked around, he noticed the graves of the failed Honeydew clones, and the broken down pipe that was once above the ground, and now looking like it got blown out of the cliff.  _ No, this… This isn’t Xephos. It can’t be.. _

 

After a few steps back, he dashes to the small entrance ingrained in the vault door, almost tripping up and down the stairs inside the labs. He looks around, clueless as to where Xephos actually was, and knowing this place was ungodly  _ massive, _ he almost walks back out. He doesn’t like the look of this place when it’s almost deserted instead of busy, with doctors and scientists piling in from every corner of the place. But then it hits him like a brick to the gut. 

 

Aliens are certainly interesting in their instinctive ways. Especially Xephos’ and Strife’s species. Like how some of their facial features and skin glow when they feel emotion, or how they can easily hide their alien features naturally so they didn’t have to go through copious amounts of some sort of cover up. Another feature is how they can feel what the other is feeling and immediately understand them, even from quite a few feet away. A fancy echolocation of sorts, but with feelings and mental states. 

 

What he feels from Xephos is strong waves of corruption and anger, and various amounts of grief and instances of isolation _.  _ Strife gasps at this sudden wave, and almost tucks tail and leaves at the intensity of the feelings. He doesn’t. He drops his glamour from his face, his “human” features now complemented by luminescent green freckles and pointed ears. He wonders if it’s worth it if he used all of his control to just sprint to where Xephos’ office is, but then he realizes that Xeph could be in serious trouble. He curses under his breath and breaks into a run, leaving all sense of rational thinking behind. 

 

The doctor testificates paid mind to the alien, but gave him the room he needed to sprint down hallway after hallway, pure panic fueling the adrenaline pumping through his head. He can’t let Xephos do this to himself anymore. Strife always knew that Xephos has been through a lot, and that he wasn’t always careful with how things affected him, but he had to stop it now. Before it gets worse. Before he drives himself into the grave. 

 

By the time he gets to Xeph’s office, he has no time to knock. He doesn’t care.  _ If Xeph is so bothered by me dropping by to check on him, he’ll get over it.  _ Nothing is stopping him from opening the unlocked office door, so he opens it, immediately closing it behind him. His office is relatively cozy, but just big enough to have a few filing cabinets and have his desk at the back, along with a few waiting chairs and a coffee table near the door. He notices that nothing in this room is organized. There are unorganized papers everywhere with various notes and signatures. He takes a breath, clearing his throat, “We need to talk.” 

 

“Do we?” He snaps back, the back of his office chair facing the door as he shuffles through some papers in his hands. “We don’t have any business with me. Besides, you shouldn’t be here if you’re panicked. Go home.”

 

Will curses under his breath, taking a second to take a harsh breath and confidently march his way to the opposite side of the desk Xeph isn’t on. “No. If I’m leaving, you’re coming with me. You’re driving yourself up the wall by staying here.” 

 

“How?” He sets the papers down on the desk behind him, and turns the smooth swivel chair around, revealing how unkempt and utterly exhausted the man was. His hair was a mess, sticking up in random directions and his eyes almost weeping for an ounce of sleep, though for the last few years, that’s been normal. He was slumped in his chair, his hands joining in a tight clasp over his mouth. His brow furrows as he looks up at him, “I’m fucking fine, Strife. I don’t need your help, if I did, I’d have called you out here.” 

 

“Yes, you do!” He slams his hands on the desk, looking down at the deadpan scientist, “I’m not stupid, Xephos! You radiated anger and grief the  _ moment  _ I stepped in this hellhole!”

 

“Do  **not** call this place that.” He gets up, equal with the now heavy-breathing alien, “I worked long and hard for this place to thrive, damnit! I’m not going to take shit from someone who is going to just dismiss the things I’ve done here. Now, are you done? Or do I need to get security?”

 

As Strife was about to go off, he stops. He takes a slow, long breath, and looks back at Xephos with tired bright green eyes. He takes his hands off the desk, slowly and softly starts, “Xephos, do.. do you remember college?” 

 

Xephos, who was already hovering over the phone to call security, stops. His hand, instead of reaching for the phone, bunches up into a fist and he nods, sitting back down in his chair, “..Yes. Yes, I do.” He seems to calm down a little, nodding, “Why do you ask?” 

 

“..Remember when you saved me?”

 

* * *

  
  


_ As Xephos made his way into the secret side room Strife had, he was horrified at the sight of Will’s wrist over a blood altar, green dripping into the bowl in the altar slowly but heavily. Will was obviously swaying, but that didn’t stop him.  _

 

_ “Will, what.. What is all of this?”  _

 

_ “Blood..” He’s obviously struggling over tears and blood loss, whimpering slightly as the sting of the dagger burning his skin and wanting him to cry out in pain, “B-Blood altar, Xeph. M’fine.” _

 

_ Xephos looked on, horrified at the alien who was now struggling to keep his balance. In the blink of an eye, Xephos scoops him up and gets the dagger out of Strife’s hand. Blood magic is illegal, he can’t take him to any sort of medical ward, he— _

 

_ Strife lets out a broken sob, weakly looking up at Xephos, “A-Am I going to die?”  _

 

_ As he makes his way out of the room, he sets Strufe down on a nearby couch and pulls out a first aid kit, that luckily, he knows his way around. He looks heartbroken as he looks into Strife’s eyes, blinking back tears, “..No, I-I..no. I promise, okay?” _

 

* * *

  
  


Xephos thinks for a moment before slowly nodding, keeping his gaze to the wood grains in the desk and try to keep his full gaze away from Strife, “..Yes, I.. I remember.” 

 

Strife slowly nods, quietly pulling a nearby chair up and sitting down. “I know how you felt, now.” He raises his voice slightly, “I need you to listen to me when I say this.. Yoglabs, it isn’t… It isn’t thriving. It’s leeching off of what little mentality you have left, Xeph.” He gently reaches over, moving his chin so Xephos is looking at him and nothing else, the shin under his touch illuminate his fingers with a light blue glow, “Now, I’m not asking you to completely drop this company. But just for a little bit, you need a break from it all. You’ll kill yourself if you don’t.” Strife’s gaze turns from disappointed to genuine concern, “You saved me from myself last time. Let me return the favor, yeah?”

 

The atmosphere in the room turns from cold to comforting and Xephos isn’t sure how long he can keep everything together, all his emotions in a glass bottle buried deep in his subconscious. However, with every comforting word that leaves Strife’s mouth, all he can think about is how Lalna couldn’t be saved from the black hole, or that the original Honeydew clone is gone, and he can’t have his friend back at all anymore, despite how many times he messes with the genes or the clones. All of this floods his senses, and suddenly he can’t disagree with Strife anymore.

 

His demeanor relaxes as he pulls up Strife’s hand from his chin and to his face, covering it, “O-Oh, Will..” The first few sobs catch him off guard, his breath hitching, “I-I feel so alone.. I.. I-I want to get away from it all..” He sniffles before completely breaking, shaking as he gently pushes Strife’s hand away,  “F-First the black hole, and.. a-and then Honeydew dies.. I can’t take it a-anymore..”

 

Strife sighs, getting up and walking over, kneeling beside Xephos, softly cupping his cheek from one side and moving Xephos’ face so that he’s looking to him, the freckles on Xephos’ face pulsing with every sob, “I understand. That’s why I want to get you out of here, okay?”

 

“I..” a raspy sob escapes him, whimpering as he turns his face into Will’s hand, “I-I’ll only b-bother you, I—“

 

“Nope.” Strife playfully rolls his eyes, “Why would you? You’re a brother to me, Xeph. I’m going to make sure you’re fine. You need the help I’m offering, okay?”

 

He sniffles, choking on his sobs, and taking a shaky breath, “Th-Then what about your b-boyfriend? W-Won’t he—“

 

“I doubt Parvis will have any issues.” Will sighs, “If he does, he’ll deal with it. Just let me take care of you for a while, ‘kay?”    
  
He tries to pull himself together, wiping off his face despite tears still uncontrollably falling down his face. He slowly nods, taking Will’s hand away from his face into his and gently squeezing it, “L-Lead me out of here. It’s..” He sniffles, weakly smiling at Strife, “It’s time I take a break.” 

 

As he says this, Strife breathes in relief, Xephos’ demeanor of anger fading from Strife’s mind, now only leaving grief and melancholy from the alien. Strife smiles back, suddenly scooping up the alien bridal-style, pushing the office chair into the desk. “..You’re unnaturally light.” 

 

Xeph grimances, looking away, “..Eating has been put on the backburner?” 

 

Strife sighs, guilt plaguing at his mind that he should’ve checked in sooner. “That’s the first thing we’re doing when we get back, then. Just start winding down for me, okay?” 

 

Xeph sighs, nodding as he buries his head into Strife’s now moving form, muttering some form of quiet thank you as he lets himself melt into his arms.


End file.
